Broadcasters caution Industry Canada to proceed slowly on mobile services sharing

Canadian broadcasters want Industry Canada to delay proposed plans for implementing mobile services in the upper analog TV spectrum (channels 60 to 69) until the transition to digital TV is complete, or at least well underway. The department proposed the sharing of the 746-806 MHz band between broadcasters and public safety mobile operators earlier this year in Gazette Notice DGTP-004-01 (see the July 9/01 edition of CCR affiliate publication, Report on Wireless). While broadcasters generally aren’t opposed to adding mobile services in this band, they want to ensure that their addition doesn’t have a negative impact on existing TV stations, new stations to be licensed, and on the future transition to digital television (DTV). They argue that the only way to ensure protection of broadcasters is to hold off on implementation of mobile services in the band. In its submission to Industry Canada commenting on the gazette notice, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp recommends the government hold off on its plan. "This is the only way we would be able to ensure that the use of the parts of the band for a mobile service would not adversely affect the ability of CBC and other Canadian broadcasters to achieve their DTV coverage requirements," the crown corporation states. Canadian Digital Television (CDTV), the non-profit group of broadcasters, distributors, and others managing the transition to DTV, concurs with the CBC. "While CDTV has no objection to the basic concept of adding mobile as a co-primary allocation in the band 746-806 MHz, it considers that actual implementation of any such services should be attempted only after the DTV transition is complete and analog TV broadcasting has been discontinued," it writes in its Sept. 24 submission. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters contends that Industry Canada wouldn’t have moved forward with such a policy if its counterpart south of the border, the Federal Communications Commission(FCC), hadn’t already instituted such a migration path for the spectrum in question. "The issue of allowing mobile services to have co-primary allocation status with TV broadcasting channels 60-69 has risen in Canada primarily because such action has already been taken in the United States," the CAB writes. "The CAB suggests that, had the U.S. not already taken this step, it is extremely unlikely that Canada would have initiated such a policy proposal on its own." The CAB indicates that because of the sheer number of DTV stations that will be located in the upper broadcast channels even after the migration is complete, it will be virtually impossible for Industry Canada to implement mobile services across the entire country on a uniform basis. According to the CAB’s analysis, about 10 per cent of future DTV channels will be located in the upper analog spectrum. The association contends that it will be impossible to implement mobile ser-vices in this band in the most heavily populated region of the country – the Windsor ON to Quebec City QC corridor. In comments to the department, various broadcasting stakeholders also wrote that a premature move to implement mobile services could actually delay the rollout of DTV in the long run. In the gazette notice, Industry Canada has suggested broadcasters apply early to gain lower channel designations, but broadcasters say that will only delay the implementation of DTV by creating a further competitive licensing process. "If such competition results in the need for CRTC hearings in many markets, the rollout of DTV could be delayed substantially," CDTV writes. "CDTV suggests that no such policy is necessary, as broadcasters will certainly use the lower channels when they can do so without compromising their coverage requirements or impacting adversely on other stations that wish to implement DTV in the same market." If licensing of mobile services in this band goes ahead, broadcasters are cautioning Industry Canada to make sure it has all of its ducks in a row in terms of the technical feasibility of mobile in the band.

Broadcasters caution Industry Canada to proceed slowly on mobile services sharing

News | 10/11/2001 4:00 am EDT

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